Shakira gets emotional after being honored with a 21-foot-tall bronze statue of herself in Colombia: ‘This is too much for my little heart’
Shakira expressed her graтιтude to her hometown of Barranquilla, Colombia for honoring her with a 21-foot-tall bronze statue in her likeness.
On Tuesday, the superstar, 46, reacted to the major career milestone by sharing pH๏τos of her parents, William Mebarak Chadid and Nidia del Carmen Ripoll Torrado, standing in front of the towering sculpture.
‘It makes me happy to share this with my parents and especially my mother on her birthday,’ she captioned her Instagram post. ‘This is too much for my little heart.’
The statue, depicting her in a ʙικιɴι top and flowing skirt while shaking her hips like she did in her iconic 2005 music video for Hips Don’t Lie, is situated by the water in Barranquilla, where she was born and raised.
A dedication on the statue reads: ‘A heart that composes, hips that do not lie, an unmatched talent, a voice that moves mᴀsses and feet that march for the good of children and humanity.’
The feat comes after a tough few years, which included the end of her 11-year relationship with Gerard Piqué and her father getting hospitalized twice in 2022.
Last month, the Waka Waka hitmaker blasted Spanish authorities for targeting ‘high-profile individuals’ after she was hit with a £6.4million fine on top of a £15million tax bill for financial fraud.
Shakira was handed a seven-figure fine as part of a deal that both allows her to swerve jail time and puts an end to a lengthy fraud trial in Barcelona before it even began.
The singer, who has a net worth of roughly £240 million, insisted she was innocent but said she had made the decision to ‘spare my children seeing their mother sacrifice her well-being.’
‘I admire tremendously those who have fought these injustices to the end, but for me, today, winning is getting my time back for my kids and my career,’ she said in a statement.
She also slammed the Spanish authorities for pursuing her, saying her case was similar to others which have seen authorities go after ‘athletes and other high-profile individuals’. Such cases, she said, drain ‘those people’s energy, time, and tranquillity for years at a time.’
The singer will be fined £6.4 million (€7.3m) for the six tax fraud crimes she confessed to as part of the deal announced in court today, less than a third of the amount prosecutors were seeking.
She had already repaid the tax which Spanish officials had accused her of dodging – which with interest on top came to nearly £15 million (€17m). She will also have to pay a fine of £378,000 (€432,000) to avoid prison.
In a statement released by her representatives after the settlement had been announced, the singer said: ‘Throughout my career, I have always strived to do what’s right and set a positive example for others.
‘That often means taking the extra step in business and personal financial decisions to procure the absolute best counsel, including seeking the advice of the world’s preeminent tax authorities PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited and Ernst & Young Global Limited who have been my advisers during this whole process.
‘Unfortunately, and despite these efforts, tax authorities in Spain pursued a case against me as they have against many professional athletes and other high-profile individuals, draining those people’s energy, time, and tranquility for years at a time.
‘While I was determined to defend my innocence in a trial that my lawyers were confident would have ruled in my favor, I have made the decision to finally resolve this matter with the best interest of my kids at heart who do not want to see their mom sacrifice her personal well-being in this fight,’ she added.
‘I need to move past the stress and emotional toll of the last several years and focus on the things I love – my kids and all the opportunities to come in my career, including my upcoming world tour and my new album, both of which I am extremely excited about. I admire tremendously those who have fought these injustices to the end, but for me, today, winning is getting my time back for my kids and my career.’
The case was set to center on how much time the singer, whose hit singles include ‘Hips Don’t Lie’, ‘Whenever, Wherever’ and the 2010 World Cup song ‘Waka Waka’, spent in Spain between 2012 and 2014.
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